Union Performance and Union Loyalty: The Role of Perceived Steward Support1

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of union performance on union loyalty. The moderator effect of perceived steward support was also investigated. Data were collected in 1988 and 1989 in two locals of a national tire and rubber manufacturing company. Parallel multiple regression analyses were conducted for the two samples. In both samples, the results support the hypothesized positive relationship between union performance and union loyalty but the interaction between union performance and steward support was not significant. However, there was a significant positive relationship between steward support and union loyalty in each sample. Additional research on the roles of the steward may clarify member assessment of the union.     

Critical Issues in the Assessment of Child Sexual Abuse

This article explores the feasibility of using standardized psychometric methods in the initial stages of an investigation of child sexual abuse; methods that are less intrusive and therefore less damaging to children and their families. We review the complex conceptual and research issues that arise from attempts to assess the many-sided aspects of child sexual maltreatment. Among those considered in both the clinical and research spheres are problems of definition and diagnosis; limitations of clinical interviews, and a variety of direct and indirect psychological instruments used for investigating sexual maltreatment and risk assessment; the inadequacies of experimental designs; and also the political, practical, and ethical restraints that hinder research in this area. It is argued that there is insufficient evidence based on controlled studies or standardized normative tests to advocate any simple, unidimensional methodology for the screening task. However, recommendations are put forward for the cautious, conjoint use of several procedures in a multidimensional approach to assessing child sexual abuse. Suggestions are also made for future research and development.     

Development of kinetic images: When does the child first represent movement in mental images?

An experiment investigated at what age children could represent movement in imagery. Five- and eight-year olds were asked whether two stimuli were the same or different in shape. The two stimuli were either presented in the same orientation or one stimulus differed from the other by clockwise rotation of 30 ° (0.52 rad), 60 ° (1.05 rad), 120 ° (2.09 rad), or 150 ° (2.62 rad). Children were instructed to visually imagine the counterclockwise rotation of one shape into the position of the other to help make the judgment. For both 5- and 8-yr olds, reaction times increased as a linear function of angular discrepancy between stimuli, indicating that both age groups represented rotation in their imagery. The findings conflict with Piaget and Inhelder's thesis that imagery representing movement first emerges when children are 7 to 8 yrs of age.     

Affective state and preference for immediate versus delayed reward

Fifty-two 9-year-olds were randomly assigned to success and failure treatment conditions involving acceptance or rejection of a drawing made for an art show. In a pilot study, this treatment was shown to influence significantly subjects' affective states. Just after treatment, subjects were presented with choices between pairs of small immediate and large delayed rewards. As predicted, subjects who had experienced success chose more often the large delayed reward than those who failed (p < .02). Prior expectancy for success and sex were not significantly related to choice behavior. The influence of affective state on various parameters of the choice paradigm was discussed, and other evidence was cited indicating that affective state is a major determinant of self-gratification behavior.     

Psychological re-evaluations: A survey of practices and perceptions of school psychologists

The practice of psychologically re-evaluating students receiving special education services has been mandated by P.L. 94–142 and further operationalized by state departments of education. Intuitively, such a requirement appears sound, for psychologists occasionally make mistakes, children change over time, and efficacy of special education services is variable. Yet given the other mandated practices, such as yearly IEP updates, and the fact that many school psychologists spend a majority of their time testing, we wondered how important three-year psychological re-evaluations are considered by school psychologists. In the present study 40 psychologists across four states were surveyed concerning their perceptions and practices regarding re-evaluations. The psychologists' responses to a 16-item questionnaire indicated that re-evaluations comprised a substantial portion of their evaluations, involved a considerable amount of time, and were perceived as an important check on a child's diagnosis and placement. Re-evaluations and initial evaluations were described as involving nearly identical tests and related activities.     

A small-animal inhalation chamber for short-to-intermediate term exposure

An inhalation chamber for behavioral toxicology studies is described. Complete and uniform diffusion of test atmospheres throughout the chamber is achieved, thus solving a dead-airspace problem prevalent in extant chamber designs. Modular attachments to the chamber allow for a variety of uses, including physiological-pathological and classical or operant conditioning. The chamber design and size are appropriate for testing most small laboratory animals (e.g., birds, rodents, and small primates), but the chamber is easily modified for use with larger vertebrates. Despite the versatility of design, the chamber is relatively inexpensive and easy to build.     

Prejudice and discrimination within the school psychology profession: Survey results from the committee on prejudice and discrimination,Division of School Psychology,American Psychological Association

The committee on prejudice and discrimination, Division of School Psychology, American Psychological Association, conducted a survey in order to determine whether school psychologists have (a) experienced any prejudice and/or discrimination with respect to ethnicity, gender, age, and sexual orientation in salary schedule (in primary employment and in consultative employment), in tenure status, and in publication and grant productivity rate (number of articles published in professional journals, whether they have reviewed articles for journals, amount of typical research grant received); and (b) engaged in legal and/or legislative activity around any existing prejudice or discrimination. A total of 850 surveys were sent to a random sample of approximately 2,500 members of Division 16, American Psychological Association, and the total return was 52%, with 41.2% usuable responses. The results do not in themselves indicate bias with respect to ethnicity, gender, age, or sexual orientation. The findings do, however, indicate the need for further study regarding possible prejudice and discrimination.     

Sex differences in aggression: Are current notions misleading?

Studied experimentally the influence of norms and sex of subjects on aggressive behaviour in same sex dyads. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) subjects will react aggressively to an unpleasant state of affairs, if they interpret it as being the result of violation of a norm on the part of another; (2) female subjects will display more aggression than male subjects under conditions of repeated provocation while male subjects will be more aggressive under conditions of infrequent or no provocation. In a 2 × 2 × 2 complete factorial design (norm violation versus norm enforcement; male versus female; low versus high reward for performance) 20 same sex pairs of students performed alternatively a sensory-motor task (victim) and a shock delivery task (aggressor). As predicted, subjects who consider other's behaviour to be a norm violation aggress more often (p <.0001). A significant interaction between sex of subject and norm violation is found in support for the second hypothesis (p <.05). It is concluded that positions grounded on the S-R paradigm are misleading for the understanding of sex differences in aggression.     

Multicultural Issues in Predoctoral Internship Programs: A National Survey

The present study examined the extent to which internship training directors (ITDs) addressed multicultural issues in their predoctoral training programs. Regarding the overall sample, ITDs reported varied levels of attention to specific multicultural issues. By internship agency type, ITDs at university counseling centers reported significantly greater attention to multicultural issues than did ITDs at community mental health centers, state hospitals, medical schools, and private psychiatric hospitals. Results clearly indicated the need for increased attention to multicultural issues in all internship programs.